Church of Santa Cristina

The Church of Santa Cristina is a church located on the southern bank of the Arno River, on the Lungarno Gambacorti, in Pisa, a few meters away from Palazzo Blu.

SHORT HISTORY

The church is documented since the 8th century, but the external apsidal structures are attributed to the 10th century. The church was destroyed by a flood in 1115, and rebuilt in 1118. Between the 13th and 16th centuries, it was the property of the Canonici del Duomo.

The Count Luigi Archinto, member of a prominent Milanese family, moved to Pisa in the late 18th century. In 1814, he acquired the Agnello Palace adjacent to the church. The Count Archinto commissioned the reconstruction of the church, which was in a very poor conservation. The church was restored in its current form in 1816 on a project by Francesco Riccetti, when the bell-tower was also built.

In 1854, according to the project of Lanfranco Mei regarding the enlargement of the Lungarno Gambacorti, the position of the church was in a strong contrast with the harmony of the nearby buildings. Saved by the proposal of demolition, it was decided to rectify the rectory overlooking the river. The rectification also regularized the windows of the parsonage after the style of the surrounding buildings.

ART

Inside the church, there are remains of the Neoclassical monochrome wall decorations, a Madonna and Child on a 14th century panel, a painting by Domenico Passignano with a rare 17th-century image of the lungarni of Tramontana (the northern part of the city), and the 19th-century copy of the Crucifix before which Saint Catherine of Siena received the stigmata in 1375.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Church of Santa Cristina is located about 900 meters away from the Pisa Centrale railway station, or about 15 minutes on foot. The closest bus stop is Gambacorti 1, located about 70 meters away, on the bus Lines 2, 4, 5, 14, LAM Rossa, LAM Verde and Navetta E.